Achieving disabled access in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

On the initiative of the Mayor and with the advice of a biomedical engineer the City of Oaxaca began a project to make the center of the city accessible to the disabled, applying access standards previously developed in Mexico. The first stage has been finished, connecting the most important points in the center by wheelchair-accessible routes. There are people with disabilities the world over. However, it is uncommon to see them on the street or in public places in Mexico, where many physical (as well as social) barriers exist. There is v e q litZle legislation regarding access. Building codes are out of date in terms of %cess and urgently need to be revised. The regulations for Mexico City concentrate on human rights aspects and mention access in passing [l]. The= is state legislation in the State of Durango, where few specifics are given. The standard of the Ministry of Health is the only legislation applicable in the entire country and even though it is very specific it is only required of health care facilities [3]. Other national health care institutions, such as the Mexican Institute of Social Security, have their own standard. in accordance with but not identical to the Ministry of Health standard [41. In both cases access is obligatory only in new or hereafter remodeled health care facilities. Other entities offering disabled access do so out of good will and usually to their own intuitive standards. The health facility standards [3,4] were developed and revised by a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional team IS], where one of the members was a biomedical engineer. This person was asked by the Mayor of the City of Oaxaca to devise a project to make the center of the city accessible. Mexican standards were used.